AMHERST, Mass. -- Senior
Caroline Tilton had a match-high 18 kills and added 2 blocks as the Amherst College volley team won a hard-fought sweep of Connecticut College Saturday, 25-11, 25-18, 25-23, on Hixon Court in the LeFrak Gymnasium.
It was the fourth straight win for the Mammoths, who improved to 8-3 overall, 4-1 in conference play. Amherst will take on Trinity Friday the 7th at 7 p.m. in Hartford, Conn.
MATCH HIGHLIGHTS:
* Amherst set the tone of the day by jumping out to a 5-0 lead in the first set.
Kinsey Cronin,
Alexandra Trofort and Cronin again with kills to help build that lead. The Mammoths put it away with an eight-point run that turned a 12-5 lead into a 20-5 advantage,
Sam Underwood had an ace while serving eight consecutive points while kills during the run came from
Charlotte Rasmussen (2),
Carly Cooper, and Tilton.
* The second set was much more tightly contested, with the Camels leading late, 18-17. A set-changing timeout was called by Amherst head coach
Val Jones. Following that break, the Mammoths scored the final eight points of the set to win 25-18. A Tilton kill off a set from
Jacqueline Kortekaas tied the game and got the serve back for the Mammoths. Trofort then served the next seven points, including a go-ahead kill from Underwood off another assist by Kortekaas. Trofort took matters into her own hands with three service aces in a row to end the set.
* It appeared the Camels may push Amherst to a fourth set as they continued to battle in the third, at one point building an 18-13 lead. But
Chloe Chanren started a six-point run for the Mammoths with a kill, and then
Katelyn Hamasaki served five straight points for a 19-18 Amherst advantage. A kill from Tilton kept the run alive, and back-to-back kills from Underwood tied the score and then gave the Mammoths a lead.
* It was tied 20-20, 21-21 and 22-22 before a Tilton kill off a set by Cooper gave Amherst the lead for good. Up 24-23, a kill Cooper ended the set and match.
BY THE NUMBERS:
* Both Amherst setters, Cooper and Kortekaas, finished with 15 assists in the win. Hamasaki led the Mammoths with 21 digs, followed by Trofort's 12, Cooper's nine and Underwood's six. Underwood also added nine kills in the win while Cronin had five and Rasmussen two.